NBA fans were left doing a double-take this week after a LeBron James broke an NJCAA javelin record in New Mexico. The name immediately created confusion because most sports fans connect LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers superstar—but this was a different athlete entirely.

As Track Gazette reported, LeBron James broke the NJCAA men's javelin record with a massive 77.91-meter throw in New Mexico. He surpassed the previous record of 76.29 meters set by Markim Felix in 2018 to win the NJCAA title. The athlete is actually a sophomore javelin thrower at New Mexico Junior College, not the Lakers legend. He hails from Trinidad and Tobago and has built an impressive junior college track career, including back-to-back NJCAA javelin championships.

The shared name is what turned a track record into a viral basketball-adjacent story. A 77.91-meter throw would be impressive on its own, but attaching the name LeBron James made fans stop and check twice. Once they realized this wasn't the Lakers' LeBron, the jokes came fast and furious.

One fan quipped, "Ngl, the name LeBron should be limited to just one person." Another leaned into the confusion, asking, "Is there nothing LeBron can't do?" The timing also drew laughs, as the NBA star has been around long enough for younger athletes to share his name while he's still playing. "LeBron has been around so long that we're going to see people with his name while he's still in the league," one fan wrote.

Others kept the joke going, pretending the Lakers forward had added another sport to his résumé. "Save some records for the rest of the athletes, damn," one fan said. Another summed up the reaction perfectly: "I had to double-check, he's real."

That's why the story traveled so widely. It was a real NJCAA record set by a real javelin standout, but the name made everyone think of basketball royalty first. For fans of both sports, it was a moment of pure, joyful confusion that only sports can deliver.